After Becca left, he opened her gift—flipped through the pages, patterns and bright swatches of yarn adorning the pages. He thought about Becca’s news, and that he was going to be an uncle. She was right. Itwaspast time for him to grow the hell up.
Glancing at his phone, he saw a voicemail notification. It was from an unfamiliar number, and for a beat he hoped it might be Sadie. But he was disappointed to find out it was from Cruz, which was strange, because Cruz McNeil had never directly called him before. Regardless, it was a bit of good news. Cruz said he didn’t need to come in until after lunch, something about a morning of meetings. It meant Max had time for a long hot shower, versus a short cold one. He pushed off the bed and, after pausing to let the light-headedness pass, headed to the shower.
—
Max drove to the studio, then parked and checked his phone. Sadie had texted while he was driving. He felt a moment of lift, seeing her name on his screen. Maybe theycouldsort this out. He sure as hell was going to try.
Hey. Happy Birthday, Max. Any chance you’re feeling better and can get here soon? I really need you here.
He was confused. Cruz had said to come in after lunch. With a sinking feeling he realized something was off and that he never should have trusted that message from Cruz.Sadie needed him. No matter what had happened, he had promised himself he would be there for her.
Slamming his truck door, he picked up the pace as he raced inside, guitar over one shoulder and a squirming Patsy under his arm. “Sorry, girl, no time for walkin’.” But about twenty paces from the studio he abruptly stopped. Patsy grunted with the change in momentum.
“What am I gonna say?” he murmured. As he ran through apologies in his mind, he remained rooted in place.
Then in a flash, something his mom had said to him the night she gave him the guitar flooded his mind.
“Go chart your own course, my love,” is what he always remembered her saying. But he had forgotten the second piece of her advice until now: “Never knock anyone down, or push them aside, to get where you’re going.”
It was both strange and comforting to remember this—likethe memory was a gift that he had received at precisely the right moment. Max had allowed his privilege and ego to cloud his judgment. He had been so single-minded about proving how different he was from his father that he had lost his way.
—
Once he got to the studio, he grabbed the door’s handle and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he glanced through the small window, and then all the air left his body.
Sadie sat on a chair, with Cruz standing in front of her. But there wasn’t nearly enough distance between them for two people who were no more than colleagues. Sadie seemed to be leaning toward Cruz. No, Cruz was leaningintoSadie.
Max was about to pull the door open, storm in there, and make Cruz back off. He no longer cared if Cruz worked on this song, or with him ever again.
But then Cruz leaned closer to Sadie, partially obscuring Sadie’s face from Max’s view. He pulled the door’s handle and then...
Cruz was kissing Sadie, and Sadie was kissing him back!
Max let go of the handle like it was a hot potato, backing up a few steps so quickly he nearly tripped over his own feet. Sadie and Cruzweretogether.
So, maybe photos lie, but there’s no denying what I just saw, he thought as he strode away from the studio.
Max was almost at the building’s front door when he heard, “Hey, Max. Want me to take Patsy Canine so you can get to work?”
Landon stood a few feet away; the smile on his face dropped as soon as he saw Max’s expression.
“Is everything okay, Max? You look ill.”
When Max didn’t respond, Landon added, “Should I let Sadie know you need a minute? Can I get you a glass of water? You’re probably dehydrated after, well, you know, what happened yesterday.”
“What happened yesterday?” Max asked.
Landon gave him a curious look. “Well, the cemetery? The whiskey? I drove you home, in your truck?”
Max stared at Landon, puzzled. “Right, sure. Hey, I don’t mean to cut this short, but I need to go,” he said. “But could you do me a favor and tell Sadie and Cruz I had to leave?”
“You bet,” Landon replied. Then a moment later, “Hey, Max?”
Max stopped halfway out the door. “Yeah?”
Landon quickly closed the space between them. “I need to tell you something. After what you told me yesterday about how you and Sadie faked Saxie...”
Shit. He’d told Landon about Saxie?Goddamn whiskey. Max tried to look unconcerned. “I was pretty drunk, so you should ignore anything I said yesterday.”
